Whenever I have a night in to myself I usually slip off my bra, open a bottle of wine and scrap around the pantry with the intent of concocting a new Asian sauce x dairy combo spaghetti dish.
After traveling for most of 2024 with my partner and only cooking very minimally, I had to make this private ritual a public one. About five months into our travels at an Airbnb in Phuket we needed some dinner and I pined for my spaghetti experimentation days.
That’s how this dish was born. It’s now a repeat staple of rented accommodation cooking because it takes very few utensils to pull off. You could even do it in a single pot. Just fry off the garlic and mushrooms, set them aside, then cook spaghetti in just enough water to leave a concentrated starchy stock before tossing the mushrooms, cream and soy in to finish.
That spaghetti cooking tip is actually one I learned from an Italian chef friend on how to make the best cacio e pepe that never splits.
Anyhow, you’ll like it I reckon. The soy adds that nice depth of flavour which makes up for lack of technique, and the cream sauce is just the luxury you deserve after sharpening a knife with the bottom of a mug.
Can’t find fresh mushrooms?
A fabulous pantry-only solution here is to use dried mushrooms. The pasta in the photos is made using dried shiitake which I rehydrated and sliced thinly. I also used the stock to thin out the cream sauce and add extra flavor.
Want to make it even easier? Don’t chop the garlic. Just peel and throw a bunch of cloves in whole, or lightly crush them. If you fry them off well they’ll soften nicely and add a smooth, sweet hit.
You can make this with rehydrated sliced mushrooms or fresh ones, just tear them up for easy prep.
Tips before you begin
- If you use fresh mushrooms (just tear them up) and don’t slice the garlic you can make this without chopping a single thing.
- Make sure your sauce is thin enough and there’s enough of it to finish the pasta cooking process. It will thicken considerably as it sits even for a few minutes.
- I half cook my spaghetti before adding it to the sauce so it’s actually al dente by the time you eat it.
Umami mushroom spaghetti
A simple spaghetti with mushrooms and cream sauce you can make nearly anywhere, any time. Sub dried mushrooms in for fresh, cut the garlic or leave it whole.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place a large pot of well-salted water on to boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti.
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In the meantime, chop or tear mushrooms into bite-size pieces and very roughly chop garlic (you can also leave it whole).
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Place a large frypan over medium heat and add a little cooking oil or butter, add the garlic and fry gently for a few minutes until golden and beginning to soften.
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Add your mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, til wilted. Season well with salt and pepper.
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Finally, add the soy sauce and cream and bring back to a boil.
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Your spaghetti should be just about al dente by now, so add it to the cream sauce along with around half a cup of the pasta water, or as needed depending on the thickness of the cream. You want it to be a loose sauce as it will thicken while standing.I basically half-cook my pasta before adding it to the sauce becuase it cooks a considerable amount after it's been added. This way it's still al-dente at the end. It'll also suck up quite a bit of liquid so make sure your sauce is quite loose.
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Toss well and turn off the heat. Sit for a few minutes before serving.
